NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 13, 2012 – Joia Johnson, Chairperson of the Board of the American Arbitration Association® (AAA®), has announced that India Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the AAA has been promoted to the position of Acting Executive Vice President in anticipation of advancing to the position of President and CEO on January 1, 2013. At that time she will succeed William K. Slate II, the current President and CEO who has held that position since 1994, and who announced his planned retirement last September.
India Johnson is a graduate of the University of Miami and holds an MBA from Georgia State University. She joined the AAA in 1974. She currently oversees the organization’s Commercial and Construction Divisions, as well as Marketing and Strategy. She is an authority on arbitration and mediation, and in addition to leading business and administrative operations she has also led and taught in education and training initiatives. She presently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, however, she will relocate to New York which is the location of corporate headquarters.
John Kerr, Chairman of the AAA Executive Committee and the Presidential Search Committee, noted that “Ms. Johnson was selected from a large field of remarkably accomplished U.S. and international candidates. However, India’s deep knowledge of the ADR process, her proven business acumen and leadership success, as well the esteem in which she is held across the alternative dispute resolution field made her selection a unanimous recommendation by the diverse eight person search committee.”
Joia Johnson added her delight in recognizing that “The new President will also, coincidentally, be the first woman to head the AAA which is presently 86 years young!”
Until year’s end, India Johnson will serve as Executive Vice President, which essentially encompasses the duties of Chief Operating Officer.
About the American Arbitration Association
The global leader in conflict management since 1926, the American Arbitration Association is a not-for-profit, public service organization committed to the resolution of disputes through the use of arbitration, mediation, conciliation, negotiation, democratic elections and other voluntary procedures. In 2011, 187,596 cases were filed with the Association in a full range of matters including commercial, construction, labor, employment, insurance, international and claims program disputes. Through 22 offices in the United States, Mexico, and Singapore, the AAA provides a forum for the hearing of disputes, rules and procedures and a roster of impartial experts to resolve cases. Find more information online at www.adr.org.